Shoe-cleaner.



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SHOE CLEANER.

APPLICATLON FILED MAY 20. $915.

Patented J uly 4, 1916.

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EMANUEL GERBER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

SHOE-CLEANER.

Application filed May 20, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, E ANUEL GERBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Cleaners; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in shoe cleaning devices, and has for its object to provide a device of this class which although being of extremely simple construction, will be highly efficient in operation and will possess a number of advantageous features, provision being made whereby the vamp of the shoe may be cleaned simultaneously with the scraping of the sole.

lVith this general object in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and in unique combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

Indescribing the invention, I shall refer to the accompanying-drawing wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of a shoe cleaning device constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2-is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a top plan View; Fig. 4 is a partial side elevation showing a slightly modified form of construction; and, Fig. 5 is a top plan view on a small scale showing a slightly different disposition of parts.

In this drawing which constitutes a part of the application, the numeral 1 designates a horizontally disposed scraping blade having a horizontal edge presented upwardly, while its lower edge portion is preferably increased in thickness and provided on its rear side with a reinforcing flange 2, the opposite ends of this fiange'being turned downwardly as indicated by the dotted lines-in Fig. 1, and being integrally oined to a pair of spaced feet 3 which are likewise cast integrally with the lower edge of the blade 1' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4:, 1916.

Serial No. 29,370.

and an additional pair in rear thereof, said flanges terminating at their outer ends in horizontal portions 5 disposed slightly below the upper edge of the blade 1. Rising from the outer .end of the portions 5 and formed integrally therewith, are the upright fingers or cleaner gripping flanges 6 having sharpened edges 7 disposed toward the center ofthe blade 1, the fingers 6 being shown as located at each end of the device and as being connected by transverse webs 8 formed integrally with the outer edges thereof and within the horizontal portions 5 of the flanges 4.

Rising from the opposite end portions of the blade 1 and spaced inwardly from the fingers 6, are the fingers 9 one of which is disposed adjacent each pair of fingers 6 as clearly shown in Fig. 3, said fingers 9 being preferably of greater height than the fingers 6 and being provided with sharpened upright edges 10 presented toward the sharpened edges 7 of said fingers 6. By so disposing the numerous gripping fingers at the opposite ends of the blade 1, seats are formed which receive therein the transversely disposed backs 11 of cleaning brushes or the like, the bristles 12 of these brushes being projected inwardly toward each other. The backs 11 are forcibly driven into the seats provided therefor between the fingers 6 and 9, whereupon the sharpened edges of these fingers are forced to bite into the opposite sides of said backs thus securely gripping the same to retain them in proper position, although in some cases upright bolts 11 are provided to rigidly anchor said backs, should the same shrink as often happens if they be made of green wood when secured in their seats. In most cases, however, the frictional and biting action of the several gripping fingers upon the backs is sufficient to retain the latter in rigid relation to the scraping blade 1.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the front ends of the backs 11 may be received within the seats provided therefor, in which case ad ditional cleaning means is preferably provvidedat the other end of said brushes as will be hereinafter described, or the central portions of the backs may be gripped by the several fingers as disclosed in Fig. 5. lVhen disposing the parts as shown in this last named figure, the bolts 12 previously de scribed are preferably omitted as indicated in this figure, since practically no leverage prevails which might loosen the backs of the brushes. 7 a r The additional cleaning means disposed.

at the rear ends of the brushes may be embodied in a number of forms, but a cylindrical brush 13 is preferably provided for this purpose, said brush having a horizon a therebetween the stem 14, the ofiset ends of 20 the strips being disposed upwardly, while the bent portions thereof are located below the brush backs and constitute legs 16 adapted to rest on the porch or step to support the rear ends of the brushes. In Fig. 4, however, the clamps 15 are of less length than those shown in Fig. 2 and do not depend below the brushes. Whether the clamps be embodied in the form shown in Fig. 2 or that shown in Fig. 4, however, screws 17 are passed through the parallel arms thereof and into the rear ends of the brush backs, whereupon tightening of said screws will frictionally bind the ends of the stem 14 between the upper ends of said arms.v

In applying the invention to use, screws or the like are passed through the feet 3 and into the support upon which the same rests, whether the latter be a'porchor a step, the arrangement of brushes desired having been previouslydetermined. If simply the two brushes secured to the ends of the scraper l are provided, only the sides and soles of shoes may be cleaned, but if in addition to thesebrushes, the brush 13 at the rear ends thereof is provided, it will be evident that practically all of the vamp of shoes may be cleaned simultaneously with scraping of the soles. 7

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be evident that although extremely simple and inexpensive construction has been provided for carrying out the object of the invention, the complete device will'be very eflicient in operation and will (Iopl es of this patent may be obtained for possess a number of advantageous features. Particular emphasis is laid upon the construction of the casting including the scraping blade 1 and the cleaner gripping fingers.

6 and' 9 at the ends thereof, although the novel construction of the clamps 15 is like wise considered a salient feature of the invention. V 7

In the drawings, certain specific details of construction have been described for producing probably the best results and in the perends and upright sharpened outer edges, a pair of spaced supporting feet formed in- V tegrally with the lower'edge of the blade, a pair of forwardly projectingflanges formed integrally with the front side of the blade and with the feet, said flanges curving upwardly fromsaid feet towardthe end of the blade and terminating in flat horizontal portions extending beyond saidends, identically constructed flanges formed integrally, with the rear side of the blade and having their flat horizontal portions joined integrally with such portions'of the first-named flanges to form a pair of horizontal brushsupports,

two pairs of uprightfingers' formed integrally with and rising from the outer ends of said brush supports, said fingers being spaced laterally from the first-named fin- 4 gers andhaving free upper ends and sharpened upright inner edges, a pair of brush backs disposed transversely of the blade and resting on the brushsupports, said backs being engaged snugly by the sharpened edges of all of the fingers, and brush bristles extending from the inner sides of the two backs.

. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. V. V V

EMANUEL GERBER.

lVitnesses: V

H. C. THWALTED, D. M. SHOOK;

the Commissioner 01- Istenti, 

